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OpenLayers v1.0 Released
posted by Satri
on Friday June 30, @11:13AM
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from the one-API-to-bind-them? dept.
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Schuyler writes "We're pleased to announce the version 1.0 release of OpenLayers, a BSD-licensed, pure JavaScript API for building map applications on the Web. OpenLayers offers the ability to display a number of different types of data (e.g. WMS, WFS, point data) in a dynamic, AJAX-driven, "slippy" mapping interface. Additionally, the development version already includes support for ka-Map, World Wind, GeoRSS, Google Maps, MSN Virtual Earth, and Yahoo Maps layers, among others, all of which will appear in upcoming releases. You can get OpenLayers from the project website, and you can see it in action on our gallery page. We look forward to your suggestions and feedback!"
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Oupi
(Score:3, Insightful)( http://pthbb.org/ )
In Bob we trust, all others bring data.
ka-maps
(Score:2, Interesting)so what's the difference between this and ka-maps ?
http://ka-map.maptools.org/ [maptools.org]
-i
Re:ka-maps
(Score:3, Informative)( http://pthbb.org/ )
One potential advantage is that ka-maps supposedly uses the native widgets of the map, whereas OL has its own (makes sense as a map with with multiple basemap layers would annoying if the UI changed depending upon which layers are showing). Although, there is some talk of eventually giving the option to do this in OL too. Then again, of the examples I've seen the ka-map UI installations UIs vary greatly: continuous vs. quantized scale bar interactions (despite both only rendering quantized scales), weird TOCs... all of which implies to me that you have to do a lot more of the widgetry yourself for ka-maps.
In Bob we trust, all others bring data.
Re:ka-maps
(Score:3, Informative)The major difference is, Ka-Map is a full-stack mapping system (at least at this point)
So it will render tiles from shapefiles/postgis, display the tiles to the user, and allow the user to interact with them.
Openlayers does not have a tiling system, rather, it is a javascript system for using existing tile sources.
Also, the two are essentially merging, thanks to the efforts of the fine folks who maintain Ka-Map and OpenLayers.
Re:ka-maps
(Score:4, Informative)Although this is good, ka-Maps' code leaves a lot to be desired because it was built quickly as a means to an end. OpenLayers has been developed by MetaCarta to be used by the public as an Open Source Mapping API.
Ka-Maps does a lot of good things -- its integration with mapserver has actually led to changing the way some of the OpenLayers developers create maps. for example, http://boston.freemap.in/ [freemap.in] is powered by OpenLayers, but the tiles themselves are rendered by ka-Map's tile rendering code, which is excellent.
There is no ka-Maps API. It's not designed to be integrated into applications -- it's designed to be a map browsing interface. This is kind of like comparing the ability to set up your own Google Maps div, but not have any control over it, and the ability to use the GMaps API.
I think that you can guess which one has become more popular over the past year
To that end, things like http://london.freemap.in/july.html [freemap.in] allow you to view information, get more information about it, and edit it (although edit is broken since the OpenStreetMap API is busted right now). This isn't something that would be easy to implement in ka-Maps, and that's where OpenLayers fits in.